


Exit To Life

by Littlemanganeko



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Video Game World, F/M, Rebirth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 03:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13848861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlemanganeko/pseuds/Littlemanganeko
Summary: When she is betrayed by those she loves a young woman tries to escape her reality only to lose her life. But death does not come as expected and instead of waking in the afterlife she wakes up in the last place she would have expected. A live action universe based on her favorite MMO.Excerpt:  I was cold. It was like I had stood in the shower for too long and the heated water had given out. But I couldn’t actually feel anything aside from cold down to my very bones. Yet all I could think about was how I had gotten here. All alone and empty enough to echo. When was the last time I had remembered any of this stuff?…. Modifications CompleteFen …I’m terrified.…. Removing Hardware LimitationsAlisha …I don’t think I can breathe.…. Removing System LimitationsI love you …both … so much.…. Initiating TransferI’m completely alone now.…. Transfer SuccessfulDid I deserve this?…. Upgrading SuccessfulWhy?…. Full System Reboot SuccessfulI’m sorry.





	1. Prologue

Prologue  
On days like this when the customers were particularly nasty and my co-workers were especially catty the act of opening my door and stepping through the threshold felt like this tiny apartment was more than just the first place we could afford but an actual home. I guess I shouldn’t disparage it too bad. After all it was one of the few affordable places in D District by the only remaining park with hiking trails in the city. And that was a necessity since Fen loved the outdoors. I had just kicked off my shoes when the low sound of a feminine moan leaked through these paper thin walls and stopped me drawing me through the messy living room to the open door on the other side.   
I would recognise my sister’s back anywhere. Slightly arched and slick with sweat that spoke of strenuous activity it curved down gently to the rounded mounds of her buttocks as she ground against the man she was riding. Some other slightly analytical part of my brain noted she cut her hair recently and it was tightly curled against her scalp. It also noted as the two bodies parted ungraciously after completion and she fell to my side of the bed only to snuggle up to Fen that they had none of the awkward motions present the first time two people coupled. They also hadn’t used any protection.  
The bag in my hand made a cracking sound as it fell to the floor from my nerveless fingers and I would like to say it was my heart breaking or my trust shattering but it was likely the jar of spaghetti sauce hitting the hardwood. My boyfriend, my lover, the man I had devoted myself to since I graduated was staring at me as he reached an arm out and pulled my sister to his side in a sheltering move. And my sister, my best friend, the only family I had left alive looked over to me in shock then resignation but said nothing.  
It was Fen who broke the silence in that serious voice of his.  
“I love her.”  
I had a lot of responses to that. Too many words rushed my head and bottlenecked before they left my lips. I could tell my silence irritated him because he frowned and pulled a sheet over Alisha carefully. It was that gesture that captured the depth of their betrayal perfectly. This wasn’t just sex which could be a mistake born of a momentary desire. This was deeper and more insidious, the meeting of their bodies was a mere byproduct of the feelings that joined their hearts. Sickened I looked to my sister but she turned her gaze from mine as she laid against my boyfriend in my bed.   
I didn’t even realise I had been running until the sound of gravel under my tennis shoes stopped me and I turned to an innocent bush on the side of the trail to upchuck the remnants of the candybar I had eaten on my way back from the store. I had nowhere to go. We had just moved to D.C. from Denver 7 months ago so we could live closer to my only family. At the time I had wondered why my boyfriend had been so willing to uproot our lives so I could live closer to my sister. Now I knew. I had gotten a new job but most of my free time was spent either with Fen or Alisha if I wasn’t playing Ages of Altherione so I hadn’t been able to make many new friends. I definitely didn’t have anyone close enough that I could ask them to spend the night.  
I could feel tears on my face and I wanted to scream but for some reason my throat felt raw and not a sound escaped. My thin shirt was clinging to my back with stale sweat and I must have looked crazy because the few people passing in the park gave me a wide berth and averted their eyes. I spit to get the taste of chocolate and stomach acid out of my mouth when the sound of something crunching startled me. I turned to look and standing behind me on the gravel a few feet away was a man. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. I took a cautious step back and he took a confident step forward. Every step I took away brought us a little closer and my heart speed up as I took in the facts.  
I had no idea where I was other then it was a less popular trail in the D District park and Wildlife preserve. The path was covered in gravel that crunched under my shoes unlike the sand or pavement that covered the more well used hiking trails. It was dark enough that I could see the city buildings past some of the trees but they were distant. The only sounds I could hear other then the night bugs and distant traffic was the sound of our breaths. We were alone. My bag was in the backpack I used to commute each day along with my work shoes and taser on the floor of that apartment. Even though I had on tennis shoes for comfort I was still wearing the uniform they required at work of a tailored pencil skirt and button down white blouse. These were not clothes suitable for running.   
I opened my mouth to ask him what he wanted. If that didn’t work I was going to scream but to my horror no sound arose and when I tried to calm myself with the thought that I was overreacting and maybe he just wanted to help and obviously distraught woman his smile widened and he opened his jacket to pull out a handle. I did not wait to see what it was attached to but I turned to my left and ran.   
He was larger than me with longer legs. If I stayed on the gravel I would be overcome in moments. So it made sense to turn into the scrubs on the side of the path and make use of the fact I was smaller to try to get away. I was heading toward what I thought was traffic and the extra burst of energy from fear was a boost. But this was not an action movie and I was not a heroine anywhere other then my computer screen. I was a woman who had never spent any time in self defence classes and unlike my sister I had no gym membership. I was plagued with a vaguely bad back from an old injury partially healed years ago and had the stamina of a typical video game nerd. It did not take long for a hand grabbing the ends of my hair to jerk my head back and throw me down hard. The crack of something breaking was accompanied by a flash of pain so acute bile from my empty stomach filled my mouth. I was turned over but my head didn't follow my body and a heavy weight settled on my pelvis as I tried to struggle but my limbs remained limp. Something was really wrong and the breath that I was trying to take refused to enter my lungs. He was leaning over me with the moonlight making a halo around his head. It was too dark to see his eyes but the paleness of his skin and the flash of his teeth was there.   
“Don’t worry,” He said mirthlessly. “I’m not going to fuck you. I just want to hear you scream.”  
But unfortunately for us both I had no voice.   
I could not scream as the first cut of something dull and corroded sliced open my cheek. I was too busy trying to breath while black dots filled my vision.  
“Scream!” He demanded like a petulant child.”Why aren’t you screaming yet?”  
Another slash and the sound of meat savagely being torn entered my hearing but it was distant now. I didn’t even have an id on me I thought as the black that had bloomed in front of my open eyes filled my entire vision. Everything was black except for a familiar icon in the center. A ruby cut like a arrow and glowing in the darkness floated next to brass colored words that were lined up vertically. There was the traditional START NEW GAME and LOAD PREVIOUSLY SAVED GAME but where it should say EXIT TO DESKTOP on the menu it said EXIT TO LIFE. The logo for Ages of Altherione with the warrior and priestess standing back to back was also missing. Talk about a crappy hallucination. Wanting to return from this odd dream as quickly as possible I told the cursor to move and click on the last option but there was no vibration of the connection console indicating a registered command just the arrow on the screen moving and once the correct option was highlighted red and the other two faded to grey I heard a click. Everything finally went dark. But I could still hear a steady beep. Like a heart monitor or hard drive failure. 

…. System Reboot

The first time I felt a father’s love was in Altherione. The strength of his back as he lifted me above the crowds to stare at the soldiers dressed in silver and blue flying our nation's pennants was indelibly etched upon my mind. My mother’s smile as she gazed at us fondly was just as dear even if it only existed within the realm of my computer’s reality. They were citizens of the world of Wryn and the nation of Altherione so the only place they could exist was in the realms of computer coding and game animation. The shoulders that supported me offered no warmth and the crowd on the hot summer’s day had no scent. Even the cool drink my in-game mother passed to me had no flavor yet somehow the feelings felt real. At that time I had been playing Altherione for a few weeks to achieve the age of a young child in-game. Until that moment the only family I held in my heart was my sister Alisha whose warm hand holding mine was always there when I needed it no matter what adult may fade in or out of our lives.

…. Hardware Failure

The winter of my fifteenth year I went into the hospital with after an injury from a car crash. The official report was I had slipped on a patch of icy sidewalk and fell in the road. The reality was our foster mother at the time was solely to blame. The night before my accident she had accused Alisha of stealing her pot when she had been too drunk and high to realise she had smoked the last of it. I had just gotten home from practice with my highschool Parkour team the Meerkats when I had stepped into their argument, Alisha had protested she was innocent but Foster mother had no interest in the truth and had reeled back to hit my much smaller sister. I had shoved her out of the way and threatened to tell the authorities if she ever touched Alisha again. Then she would lose the income she got from us and her other fosters.. The next day when I was walking to school with Alisha ur foster mom had insisted she join us. Right as we had gotten to a busy intersection I had been pushed from behind. The world had tilted as I slipped on the icy sidewalk and fell right into the busy street. I had twisted as I went down trying to catch myself but it was the smile my foster mother’s face that I remembered more than the pain of impact as body met vehicle.   
I had to go through multiple surgeries and intensive physical therapy to walk again. I had barely escaped with my life but had more fused bones, metal plates and scars then a 20th century frankenstein. I would never be able to compete in Parkour again and any dreams I had of a scholarship were gone. Unlike my sister who breezed through her advanced classes studying barely resulted in a passing grade for me. Of course with medical technologies leaps and bounds after the Third World War it only took me three months to complete this treatment but I had already missed the open enrollment period. I would never be able to do Parkour even in private due to the danger of permanent disability and to add insult to injury I had fallen behind enough in school that I was now in the same grade as my little sister in school. We were also moved to a home that accepted so-called problem kids and that was where I met Mrs. Rice.

…. Full System Reboot

Mrs. Rice became my family too; I didn’t want her to but she was too damned stubborn. After my first procedure I woke up in an unfamiliar room with my sister on my right holding my hand. There were tears dried on her face and I wished the worst possible pain on my foster mother. To my sister’s right there was an unfamiliar woman. She was older than anyone I expected and her eyes were hard. She told me in no uncertain terms that my sister and I were going to be going home with her now. She had lived through the Third World War as an orphan herself and had spent her life taking in the unwanted like us. She saved me in more ways than one. When she saw me falling into despair over the loss of my dreams she had put aside her dislike of technology, taken what precious little money she had personally and purchased a first gen connection console for my birthday. As a bonus the console had a game included - Ages of Altherione. Forget giving me my legs back. That game and Mrs. Rice gave me my wings.

…. Hardware Failure

The much anticipated Ages of Altherione or AOA was a money pit of a game from the start. It was labeled as an RPG/SIM and had a ton of development that went with it including some of the best graphics and largest virtual servers of its time. It was supposed to highlight the advance technology of the connection console system. By the time I had gotten the game it was past its prime and had already fallen into the failure category. In reality it likely was too advanced to be an intro game for new technology.  
You started out by choosing your character's name, gender and basic features. Everyone started with the same base stats. Then you began the game as a child in the world of Wryn. You were generated into a random family and there was no way to choose your circumstances. Your family circumstances could determine how easy or hard it was to succeed and the choices you make during childhood can determine enemies and allies in the future. Becoming a mage as a farmer’s daughter was far harder than becoming a mage as the daughter of a local lord in the city. Leveling was incredibly tedious and it truly was a sim of life in a fantasy game until level 25 when your character actually gained adulthood and could begin in-game quests. Even if it was a VMMO there was no chat option and you could only interact with other characters and NPCs by choosing prewritten dialog so you never knew if the person you were meeting or fighting with was an NPC or not. And when you died you couldn’t return to a previously loaded game that character was listed as dead and you had to start completely over in the same world as a new person. At least until the game went offline then everything stopped.

…. Full System Reboot

I had been in my own place for a year when Mrs. Rice had died. I had cried as hard as I did when my AOA family were killed during my last year of school. But this time the arms holding me together as it felt like my world shattered were not my sister’s. The warmth of Fen’s arms around me and the soft murmuring in my ear had convinced me I wanted to feel this for the rest of my life. Fen had harassed me to go out with him all through highschool but I had never taken him seriously, after all he had been ridiculously out of my league as one of Alisha’s friends. But with Alisha in college on her scholarship and my support group having grown ridiculously small Fen had proven himself the rock I needed. The next week he moved in and I never looked back. Every moment that he wasn’t in school and I wasn’t at work we were together. Except for when I was playing Altherione.

…. Hardware Failure

Fen and I had just signed a lease together when MicroQast the company responsible for Altherione announced that they were going bankrupt. The game would be going offline on November 2nd of that year and would no longer be updated. They had tried everything they could to make a success of their flagship game. They had introduced numerous patches and had updated game play with several DLCs. They had created and implemented a completely new genre of gaming but in the end they could not do anything about the progression of technology. The 1st Gen connection consoles were invasive and expensive. They were quickly replaced with less invasive 2 gen machines and by the 3rd generation the technology had completely changed. It was less invasive but also less immersive and completely incompatible with AOA.   
Fen had seemed please.  
My sister had told me it was a sign that I should grow up.  
I turned to the online boards to seek people who shared in my grief and discovered a complete community of people who like me loved AOA. It was in that fan community that under the name of BurningEmbry, (a handle from high school I soon came to regret.) that I learned about the true depths of AOA. There were illegal add-ons to make the game more realistic. Completely fan created extra content to bring new quests and new styles into play. And in the middle of that was a small core of community players who were deep into deciphering what they called the hidden code of Wryn. This closed community required all those who joined to be exclusive 1st gen players. They were the ones who first taught me how to read code. Under their tutelage I made what would be my first discovery. There was a complete continent hidden in the code of AOA. With this and other changes that I subsequently discovered I not only gained respect for my very specific talent but I gained AOA back.

…. Rebuilding Hardware 

But I may have lost myself in the process or something just as important. I was cold. It was like I had stood in the shower for too long and the heated water had given out. But I couldn’t actually feel anything aside from cold down to my very bones. Yet all I could think about was how I had gotten here. All alone and empty enough to echo. When was the last time I had remembered any of this stuff? 

…. Modifications Complete

Fen …I’m terrified.

…. Removing Hardware Limitations

Alisha …I don’t think I can breathe.

…. Removing System Limitations

I love you …both … so much.

…. Initiating Transfer

I’m completely alone now.

…. Transfer Successful

Did I deserve this?

…. Upgrading Successful

Why?

…. Full System Reboot Successful

I’m sorry.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in a familiar world with a foreign body.

Part One  
The sensation of pain was so acute as it raced through my body that tears blurred my vision and spilled down my cheeks before I even registered that my eyes were open. My thoughts were scattered and the memory of my last breath came with a struggle but the dappled sunlight overhead did not mesh with the moonlight that had shadowed me previously. Pain was fading faster than it should leaving a slight trembling in my muscles from the aftereffects and I pushed myself upright while the world swayed dangerously. A thousand different scenes from various slasher movies watched through squinted eyes and spread fingers chased through my thoughts. Except I should be in more pain then I was. I had felt him carving out a chunk of my cheek and I valiantly held back from throwing up anything remaining in my stomach at the thought.  
Blinking I glanced around but the area was not familiar. The ground was unsteady and the broken branches and brush which had impeded my progress last night were gone. The sound of distant traffic had also been replaced by a vaguely familiar sound of distant animals. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I knew exactly where I was. There was a smooth stone pillar before me that had nothing to do with any city parkland. It was an obelisk of dark grey reaching toward the sky with a towering height that was partially obscured with moss and climbing vines. It looked like it had been here since the beginning of time, waiting patiently as the forest sprouted around it. As I rose to my feet and tilted my head back to fully view the monolith before me I could feel my jaw drop open in shock as I read the carved words on the stone that revealed themselves to be an ancient prayer from Wryn praising the goddess Kirath. Even the symbol of the forgotten goddess could be seen at the base on the obelisk right above a small altar that was littered with rusted coins, rotted fruit, a carved knife with an ivory hilt and a few bottles holding different colored liquids.  
Kirath was a goddess who had long since fallen out of favor with the general populace because she was viewed as the patron goddess of the subhuman races. The symbol of her power carved in the stone of a fox, cat and bunny worshiping a full moon seemed to glow faintly around the edges. Her shrines had been destroyed in most human lands and it was rare to find one as intact as this. You had to admire the fortitude of the worshipers who must have come through miles of forest to get to … wait … what the hell am I doing? I’m admiring this now? No I need to focus. My gaze narrowed in on the ivory knife and the delicate carving on its hilt of ivy leaves and lilies. It was a familiar pattern that was unique to a legendary blacksmith from South Swallow. Namely me.  
This was not okay. This was not okay in any manner of thinking. What the hell was going on here? This either had to be the most elaborate hoax in the world or I was lying in a hospital somewhere having completely lost my mind. I remember an article that I read from the New Square Journals that had talked about users of the 1st Gen Connection Consoles having developed strange legions in their brains that was speculated to have caused several deaths but that the manufacturers had buried the evidence with the government’s help under several layers of misdirection and red tape. It had never made it to the more reputable papers and I hadn’t been convinced of a need to stop playing with AOA. It would be the perfect solution wouldn’t it? I had fallen over on the bus unconscious due to a stroke having never made it home. The people I loved had never betrayed me. There was no crazy man in the park. There was no pain or confusion. But even this felt vaguely like a lie.  
But how could this be real? When I had logged off from AOA last I had just finished a solo journey exploring ruins of a lost city I had recently discovered in the Forest of First Water. After leaving the depths of the city I had found myself in a forest with flora unlike any I had encountered before and had seen a shrine to the goddess Kirath. I had never been overly religious either in the game or in real life. In fact more often than naught the blessings given by the pantheon worshiped in Wryn seemed fraught with hidden cost and vicious demands so I tended to avoid any quests for the favor of the Gods and Goddesses. But my in game parents had been religious, their teachings had lingered somewhere in the back of my mind and they had instilled in me a healthy respect for things more powerful than me. I never tried to curry favor with those from beyond the veil but I had always made a point to leave a small offering of respect at every shrine I came across. I also made sure to murmur a small thanks cautiously, even though my lips had never moved in game I had still said the words in my head.  
My feet were not clad in the sneakers I remembered slipping on at my desk before leaving for the night. They were clad in boots that looked like they were woven from crystal and metal but fit like fine leather. The lacings that tied to my knees showed ware as if I had tied and untied them countless times. I knew this outfit. It was my favorite exploring outfit with enchantments to offer boosts to the three S’s of exploring namely speed, sneak and stamina. There was nothing in this outfit reminiscent of anything found in my closet or in the local mall. Even the heavy fall of braids on both sides of my face was nothing like my typical hairstyle of long and straight. But then the body that I looked down on was nothing like the body I knew as my own. The hands I had clenched were calloused in familiar places that I knew came from handling my favorite weapon. There was a supple strength in my legs I had not had since I was a child. The persistent ache that lingered in my back especially on cold nights like yesterday had disappeared entirely. For lack of a better explanation I felt strong and I felt healthy.  
This was completely wrong.  
It wasn’t just this body but everything surrounding me that was wrong. In the world of AOA you always knew you were playing a game because of the lack of senses involved. It was always there in the background reminding you that you might appreciate the field of flowers you planted but you could never smell their perfume. You could gorge yourself on a feast fit for a king or chow down on rotting garbage and they would both taste like nothing but air. I could smell the loamy scent of the forest surrounding me and feel the slight chill to the air despite the sunlight I was standing in. I noticed that the vest supporting my bust was a little tight and one of the buckles needed to be adjusted so it didn’t dig into my ribs. Against my left hip lay the weight of my swords pommel. The hilt having dissipated until I pulled it from its holder and my power gave it form and solidity. Against my right hip lay the weight of a leather bag that I knew contained my supplies and items.  
I had memories more vivid and real than just the log of information detailing my life in game. They existed alongside the memories of my real life. The rush of exhaustion, terror and joy I had felt upon defeating my first dragon was just as vividly as the buttered popcorn taste and racing heart that accompanied my first kiss. I now knew that I detested the flavor of cure potions due to how often I had been forced to endure gnawing hunger by falsely buffering my body with magic. Great. On top of everything else that was severely screwed now I also felt guilty for apparently starving my avatar for no reason other than pure laziness.  
A chill trailed down my spine, that warning that something was wrong flared across my senses and my body reacted without conscious thought. My sword was drawn instantly and I spun to face a creature unlike any I had seen before in real life. But I knew its name – Imp Wolf. Its mouth was open and from curved yellow fangs dripped a constant stream of saliva. Its breath alone filled the air with a putrid stench akin to rotting meat and amid its thick green fur was patches of scaly green skin oozing with puss filled spores. It was infected, which meant its pack must have run it off and in its eyes was the desperation of the starving and the mad.   
My sword arm was up and from the empty pommel a blade grew without me calling forth its name. Black as a starless night with words of power and death etched on every inch and glowing faintly red with power this sword was a physical representation of my soul and my trust in its destructive power was absolute. My other arm was not idle but up with hands spread and the air surrounding me buzzed with energy as a barrier of protection settled against my skin moments before the Imp wolf attacked. From its gaping maw spewed a font of green flames. The heat of the fire brushed up against my barrier in a shimmer of super-heated air but felt like nothing more than additional warmth as my arm swung and the blade slid through the Imp wolf’s torso with frightening ease.  
The flames coughed out to a thick smoke that smelled toxic and caused the anti-status effect ring on my right hand to vibrate slightly as it’s innate magic went into effect against whatever the smoke was trying to do to my body. My sword exited from the creature's torso with a wet sound. It fell to its side with a pained whimper and the part of my brain that was helping me analyze my actions screamed to a halt as the Imp wolf became more than a monster born of digital data but a living creature. It tried to drag itself away from me with its two working legs and blood spilled out along with internal organs while I finished it off with a second decisive blow. I kneeled and pulled out a small knife as I started skinning its fur from its still warm and twitching flesh. Reeling back in shock I pulled away to throw up the contents of my stomach. A mix of vibrant blue glowing elixir and pinkish stomach acid landed on the ground and splashed on my armor as a whimper clawed its way through my throat. What the hell was I doing?  
Imp wolf fur was useful in many elixirs so even if it was damaged it was worth 3 times the price of regular wolf fur. In the center of its body was a soul stone prized in many markets and it had precious poison emeralds in its belly. Tears were blurring my vision as I kneeled in the dead leaves and stared at the creature’s dead body. I had killed. The scent of death was a vile thing and it clung to this small clearing as I forced myself to pull away. The scent would bring other predators here and I didn’t want to kill again. Not right now. I knew that if I hadn’t acted the Imp wolf would have killed me but I was still shaken. I had come from a world where death was carefully separated from life. Our food was precut and pre packaged so we never connected it to the animal suffering or the life that was spilled in a factory far away so I could continue living. The countless animals that had filled my plate throughout my life had never even been a thought. And this was even more intimate. I had taken this life with my own hand.  
My father’s words came to me then, “Embry we respect the strength that allows us to kill. Never let a life be wasted. Never kill for amusement and always thank the gods that it was them and not you.” I never thanked the gods. But with trembling hands and through tears I kneeled to finish the job I had stopped. With quick and efficient movements I skinned the body and bundled the fur I extracted a small soul stone and 3 large poison emeralds. I pulled out a bottle of elixir used for cleaning and preparing items then sprinkled it over my prizes. There was a brief glow of white and each item was almost glowing in cleanliness. The fur was fluffy and sweetly scented, the soul stone glowed and pulsed with the trapped life of the Imp wolf and the poison emeralds were now faceted and shining in the dim light. The body lay there in a stinking mess of warm blood, entrails and poison as I packed the items into my pouch. It seemed surprisingly thin and small for all the items I knew it held. In fact it had felt empty when I opened it with the intention of storing items but when I closed the flap it felt heavy and solid as if it were weighted with a rectangular shaped stone.  
I looked up to the sky and thanked the Imp wolf for its life before turning to leave. I had done what I needed to but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it or wished to remain at this place where I had been forced to lose just a little bit more of my innocence. This forest was unfamiliar but I knew I couldn’t stay in place. I started running away from the kill spot with no specific place in mind. As I moved away from the place I had awoken on auto pilot I came across 2 Iron bears, a pack of flame weasels and a large Arachne. I dealt with them in the same way that I did the Imp wolf. Killing did not become any easier but it did not become harder. Animals that were not monsters seemed to flee the intruder to their habitat thankfully. My body moved with an ease that was more magical to me then the spells I seemed to command with a thought.  
Through trial and error I found if I tried to direct my actions like I did in the game I became slow and clumsy. I couldn’t think of this body as my avatar or I risked injury with my unnatural movements. Magic seemed as simple as combining an image in my head with a wish or intention to give it form. Damage to my armor seemed to heal itself as easily as my body healed itself given time but by looking at it I knew that it wasn’t quite as strong as it was when I first started out and to truly fix my armor I would need a smithy. Memories of this body and this world were becoming clearer but my memories never faded. I moved nonstop possibly for hours with no noticeable tiring and somehow knew I could continue for days like this. No sleep, no food, bodily discomfort ignored completely. This was the body I had forged without a doubt.  
Running from danger was a good instinct. Running from a crime scene was natural when you were the perpetrator, even here in the wild where bodies tended to attract the sort of attention that was better avoided if you could. But running without direction or purpose was another story, one that had the potential of being just as dangerous as staying in place with a looted carcass. Even if I had no idea where I was it was dangerous to continue at this pace without any regard for my own personal safety. With that thought in mind I slowed and came to a stop next to a large tree that looked exactly like every other large tree I had recently passed. I couldn't sense the presence of an enemy nearby so I took a deep breath and tried to clear my racing thoughts. I had no idea if my death in this world would lead to a return to my homeworld so I had to be careful. I took another slower breath trying to remember the advertisements I had watched on late night T.V. for “Larissa’s Weight Loss and Anxiety Relief Through Eastern Breath Control” program. I ended up breathing in the humid air a little too slowly and too deeply resulting in hacking up a lung painfully instead of calming my thoughts. Once I stopped trying to remember how to breath correctly I listened for a moment tensing in anticipation of an enemy attack before relaxing again. I was becoming paranoid.  
Dammit Embry focus.  
Ok, real or a dream I had to survive. Survival usually hinged on securing your basic necessities. What would be considered basic necessities in this world? Food may have been a necessity in my old world but it seemed here that I could forgo it for an extended time if I wished to deal with the hunger pains that this body seemed use to. Water was another necessity but I had no idea if I could ignore water like I could food. Sure I could do a water spell but who knew if that water would be safe to ingest. Once more I found by thinking on a problem this body supplied me with memories that answered my questions. I saw myself pulling a rather large bottle from the small pouch on my hip and drinking from it occasionally. I would need to secure water. How full that bottle was and how long it would last I have no idea. In addition to water I knew without a doubt I would need to secure shelter. A place to sleep might even have priority over clean water to drink. Many of the things I remembered from the game seemed to have translated to this life and one of the most important aspects of healing in AOA was sleep. A place to sleep was essential to regenerating both mana which is the source of magic in this world and health. Restoring both mana and health could be done with items and elixirs but only partially. To fully recup lost mana and health your body had to enter a restful period of deep sleep. I needed to find some kind of shelter I could ward and fortify. A cave, another ruin or even an abandoned shack would work as long as there were solid walls and a roof overhead.   
Man I remember that tower I had found in the underground lake of Mizral. It had been ancient with no apparent entrance and mana leaching stones in the caves stalactites had prevented any type of flying or float magic. It turned out the entrance had been found only after I had dove deep into the monster ridden depths of the lake and had found a boss battle and a door to the tower. Discovering that tower which held a smithy, alchemist lab and a safe room to rest in had allowed me to fully search and map out the complete Mizral underground cavern. I had spent so many amazing hours discovering the remnants of a long forgotten race that had once filled the caverns with life. I needed to find something like that now. A safe place.  
Wait, I was overthinking this. I already had a safe place where I could rest and think. I already had a ridiculous amount of properties on the continent of Alktherione, often laughing to myself about the fact that I was likely richer than the royal families yet got no recognition or respect from anyone because no one knew who I really was. Not even the people who rented out my properties at ridiculously low rates or bought from my army of reasonably priced stores that I owned and operated through a legion of tight lipped managers who did not reveal who paid their salaries. I could go to one of the homes I kept empty for my own use in town or one of the properties I had claimed in the wilds.   
Reaching for my pouch I snapped it open and this time instead of an empty sack awaiting my deposit I found five slim black slates that had the smooth sheen of gasoline on asphalt. They were stacked side by side and each had a title on their edge that was written in faded runes that translated in my head to words I could understand. Their names were ordered as follows; Inventory, Skills, Status, Map and Journal. The Status slate was giving off this faintly red glow which usually meant something bad. Designers never used ed for nice soothing messages no red always meant crap was about to happen or was currently in progress. And the fact that the red was not only glowing but steadily pulsing could only mean it was like ten thousand times worse. Pulling out the Status slate caused it to activate at my touch. The surface smoothed out and became nearly reflective before text and symbols began to fill it with gold writing that was surprisingly easy on the eyes despite what should be causing terrible strain. The longer I stared at the text writing itself the clearer it became as it stopped translating itself in my head and I just began to understand. As the text stopped filling the screen I noticed what was the cause for alarm earlier two lines separate lines of text were red and pulsing like strobe lights on a slow beat.   
Embry Wintersong ( From the former village of Wintersong)  
Level: Unknown  
Titles held: 7  
Homes owned: 24  
Properties owned: 278  
Map explored: 25%  
Wives: 0  
Husbands: 0  
Children: 0  
Pets: 0  
Affiliated God / Religion : None  
Professional Guild Memberships: 17  
Health: 87%  
Mana: 50%  
Armour: 97%  
Weapon: 99%  
Afflictions: 1  
Curses: 1  
Staring at the pulsing indicating a less than satisfactory status I tapped the Afflictions line first with a finger and it opened a sub menu.  
Afflictions +   
Wolf Bait: While this affliction is active the afflicted carrier’s health will not regenerate. Monsters of the wolf genus are drawn to the afflicted person’s scent and will attack. Lower level monsters of the wolf genus who will normally avoid you will be compelled to attack the afflicted person even if they sense attacking will lead to their death due to a level difference. The afflicted person will also give off a very strong and easily trackable scent that will permeate their clothing and not wash off their skin.   
Wolf Bait Cures: Any level 3 or above blue potion will remove this affliction. Any other bait affliction will over write this affliction. Can sometimes be removed by destroying your armour and bathing in the waters of any healing spring. Can be healed with level 1 cleansing spells. Also removable by XXX.   
The XXX in the response denoted something that I had not yet discovered yet in this circumstance. I concentrated on myself and demanded my magic activate by healing me of Wolf Bait but nothing happened. I tried to think of healing and concentrated harder and could feel the beginnings of a headache threatening me so I stopped. Shoulders slumping I gave up trying to force my magic and tried to recall how healing magic work. The memories flowed through me and I stopped trying to force my magic but let it flow. It was almost like making a wish, I thought of how I wished to be healed and to have my health released from this affliction. A sensation of warmth filled me then there was a weird feeling almost like my entire body was being covered in soda water. As I looked down at my body I noted my armour looked fresh and bright and the brief smears of dirt and blood that had remained on me were gone. Even my teeth felt smooth and minty fresh. When I looked at the slate I saw that my status had updated and the Affliction line was updated to 0 and now displayed greyed out text indicating that I could not open it and the afflicted status was removed. Ok onto the next item at hand. I tapped curse with a quick move boyed by the victorious feeling of my easy removal of Wolf bait.  
Which is why I felt like I got hit with a double whammy as I read the text revealed by the curse submenu. my stomach started to ache and I bit my lip hard then I reread the words a second and even a third time. They did not change.  
Curses +   
Broken Heart / Broken Voice: While this curse is active the cursed party is unable to use anything more than basic sounds. Words and sentences are beyond the capabilities of the cursed party leaving them mute in any situation. Residual effects of this curse cannot be removed without first removing the curse from the cursed party. The residual effects include the lowering of the cursed party’s Mana capacity by 25%. Any lower level spells cast will now have triple the mana cost. The cursed party will also be more susceptible to any status condition passed on my touch such as “Bait” afflictions. This is a unique curse that prevents you from performing any spells that require dual-casting ( Spells cast with either intention and words or hand casting and words.) Skills that require speaking such as “Persuasion”, “Barter” and “Merchant” will be negatively impacted or nullified.  
Broken Heart / Broken Voice Cures: Unknown.  
*Warning: This is an unknown curse and shows the propensity to evolve.*  
I opened my mouth and took a deep breath before I started with the the first sentence that came to mind which was “Do you have any ketchup?”  
Nothing came out. A woosh of air escaped my lips but my vocal chords stayed paralyzed and silent. A whimper escaped my mouth and made my nose wrinkle in disgust. I was not a newborn puppy. I do not whimper. I tried to hum and was able to sound out the entire them to fallen leaves. I pursed my lips and successfully whistled the theme to fallen leaves but when I tried to say the title of fallen leaves or even sing it in my own terribly off key voice I was disappointed. All that I could do was expel a rush of silent air. I was quite successfully screwed without ever dropping my underwear.   
Shit.  
Replacing the slate in my pouch I wondered where in the seven hells I had managed to pick up such a status killing curse. Curses weren’t like afflictions. They required a great deal of magical ability to cast and could not be cast by monsters. Curses were not naturally occurring but the result of malicious intent and hate. Half of the time a curse was just as damaging to cast as it was to receive so they had fallen out of favor centuries ago. They were usually attached to items or triggered by traps in old ruins. I hadn't even known it was possible to create much less contract an evolving curse. The level of expertise required for such a casting would have to be insane. The caster would have to be dead after that much magic use, the scholar in me wondered if they took their secrets to the grave. No, I hope they did because such terrible knowledge should be lost and never rediscovered.   
The kicker of the matter though was the fact I had no idea how I had contracted such a curse in game. Before signing off I always made it a habit to check my status and heal as much as possible so I didn't have to deal with that in the beginning of my. Next session and could dive right into gameplay. I couldn't remember picking up and strange relics in the ruins or triggering any traps. My curse detection skills were maxed out and no treasure was worth the risk of a curse. Even if I did have curse breaking knowledge it was notoriously complicated and time consuming. Many times like in this situation it was useless against unique curses. Wolf Bait I could understand where I picked it up. I probably picked it up from the Imp Wolf even if it was an ailment that normally wasn’t picked up by anyonewho had successfully passed level 50. I would have the luxury of worrying about this once I got to safety. I had to stop letting myself get distracted.   
Pulling out the slate marked “Map” I ran my finger over the surface watching anxiously as it activated. The surface rippled once then smoothed out into the same black mirror as the other slate. Instead of words showing up on the screen, lines spread out over it and glowed lightly as they formed a globe on the flat surface that was only vaguely familiar to me, it was like looking at a space map with a sun and moon rotating around the clouded surface. Beneath the globe was simply the word Wryn in glowing symbols. Above the globe it said World View. It was an almost photo realistic representation of the surface of the world and I couldn’t help but appreciate the jewel like surface against a canvas of diamond dusted black.. To the right of the map was a series of symbols that once more revealed themselves to me in simple words. There were four options available with one of them opened.  
World View - Wryn 25% Mapped  
Continent View +  
Region View +  
Current View +  
When I touched the “Continent View” option it collapsed the world view option and displayed new information. Like ripples on the surface of a pond the current map distorted then erased itself before rebuilding a new map that showed a closer view of the world's surface with all of the clouds and background removed. The globe was opened and flattened out showing five continents and several islands. This new map was partially greyed out. It was obvious at a glance areas that I had been and areas that were still awaiting exploration . To the right was more information again.  
Altherione + 100% Mapped  
Grendar + 1% Mapped  
Cuil + 0% Mapped  
Deltarth + 0% Mapped  
Melay + 2% Mapped  
Island Nations + 4% Mapped  
When I touched Altherione the surfaced once again rippled and revealed another surface. This time a map was revealed that I recognised like the back of my hand. Which I have to say is a stupid saying. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually spent time studying the back of my hand while I could remember the hours I spent poring over this exact map as I memorized the best Inns and most treacherous routes. The list to the right of the map was refreshed and populated itself with information I knew by heart. The top of the list held a series of map markers and explanations for what each map marker meant. I dragged the map screen over to reveal the southeastern edge of the continent stopping when a thin ring of blue entered the edge of the screen. There was a city marker hovering over what looked like a walled city surrounded by what I knew were acres of lush farm lands. I touched the icon and watched as the map portion of the slate was filled with a top down view of city streets filled with moving figures and closely built buildings nearly spilling into each other. There were guards patrolling the walls and beyond the walls were sprawling farms.   
To the right was a full list showing the name of each residence and business with a + symbol next to it. The buildings I owned were highlighted a glowing purple on the list and bunched together at the top of the list.. If this was AOA pressing the + would reveal the name of the property owner, if it was for sale, its current price, its current condition and if I had a relationship with anyone in the property or if they had a quest to offer. Scrolling to the top of the list I searched for the property I needed and touched its name to reveal its information. Just like in the game it was far more detailed than any property I didn't own.   
Amber Fields -  
Farm Owner Occupied  
Owned by Embry Wintersong

Crops -  
Wheat Fields X 3, Oat Fields X 2  
Animals -  
Cows X 7, Chickens X 12  
Employees -  
Daytime Employee X 3, Overnight Employee X 1  
Current Output-  
$1200 - $3000 per month.

The map also updated to show the property in question. I really did like Amber Fields more than most of my other properties. I kept it’s output low so I could have some privacy when I needed to retreat there. The top down view panned over lush golden fields of product ready for harvest before focusing on a large timber farmhouse and an even larger barn. It was well maintained and beautifully furnished but I rarely slept under that wooden roof. Hidden on the edge of the property near some overgrowth I never allowed the workers to clear was a cave entrance to the reason I loved this property. After achieving level 79, Helping the previous owner of Amber Fields along to their execution after revealing they were a political traitor and gaining enough money to purchase the destroyed farm from the local government you could start a hidden quest. It required you to clear most of the wild growth on the farm, turn a profit for 6 consecutive months then sleep in the farmhouse for seven nights in a row before it would start.  
You would be woken from your dreams consecutively by weird sounds that drew you to the cave entrance. After following it deep underground you would fight the ghost of a powerful wizard whose fruitless attempt to overthrow a past king had left him a reclusive hermit. If you defeated the wizard you would destroy the cave and discover a large vein of gold for mining. If you befriended the wizard or destroyed the book anchoring him to this plane of existence your reward was far more incredible as I discovered. You would see his ghost off then the false back of the cave would open to reveal an underground mansion with the game’s most secure spell sanctuary, best laboratory, largest library, hottest forge and a kitchen stocked with everything you might need to max out your cooking skills. Everything was automated with complex spells to keep the mansion perfectly ambient and the only one who could ever enter it was the person the wizard left it to. Namely me. What better place to hole up and research how to remove a curse then the secure home of one of history’s greatest wizards? Not to mention in the years since I had claimed it for my own I had expanded the rooms in the mansion to be suitable for a craftsman such as I and had even modded some of the furniture and items to be reminiscent of items only found in the modern world.   
Touching the icon hovering over Amber fields would normally activate the teleportation menu in game asking if I prefered to teleport to my home, the city or the last place I had stood in that region. Once I made a selection the teleportation spell I had learned early on in the game from my mother would instantly whisk me to where I needed to be without the hassle of moving my legs an inch. It was an incredibly lazy but useful skill especially after you found yourself exploring more and more of the map. You could only spend so many hours running through stunning foliage before it all began to blur together. The icon opened up the menu as expected but all of the choices were greyed out completely. A memory belonging to this body came to me and as I watched it play out in my head disappointment bowed my shoulders. I could see myself touching the map but the teleportation was not instant. Instead my lips were moving in a complicated that sounded familiar to my ears. It was a level 2 spell that required the utterance of a place name woven with the various words of power and the user's intention of will. Like most non-attack magic it was soft and lyrical but far beyond my current capabilities.  
My heart started to race again and I could feel the edge of hysteria start to claw at me but I forced another calming breath before I could focus my racing thoughts. I had been here before. Without shelter, scared and somewhat overpowered. It had been years since I had been here in the game world but I had worked my way out of this situation and had gained levels to boot. Yet another term that made no sense. Why was it when I’m stuck in a life and death situation I spend so much time talking to myself in useless expressions? Okay focusing. I need shelter. Any kind of shelter possible.


End file.
